Nov. 24, 2009
Complete Great West Conference release in PDF Format 
DAVIS, Calif. - Receiver Chris Carter was named the Great West Conference Offensive Player of the Year, linebacker Mike Morales earned top defensive honors, and Bob Biggs was named Coach of the Year, as UC Davis received three of the major postseason awards announced by the league on Tuesday.
The Aggies were well-represented on the All-Great West teams, filling 10 spots on the first team, four on the second and adding two more honorable mention.
In addition to Carter and Morales, first-team accolades went to receiver Bakari Grant, tight end Dean Rogers, offensive linemen Mark Tos and Tommy Hernandez, defensive end Patrick Michelier, linebacker Mike Healey, cornerback Jeremy Scott and kicker Sean Kelley.
Second-team honors were awarded to guard Sean Davies, quarterback Greg Denham, defensive end Eric Sobotka and cornerback Kenneth Brown. Safety Danny Hart and defensive tackle Jacob Maxson were each selected honorable mention.
Carter, a senior from Danville, is the Aggies' second-ever player of the year on the offensive side of the ball, joining quarterback Jon Grant who shared the distinction in 2005. Carter earned his honor after a spectacular year in which he posted 85 receptions - second all-time at UC Davis - for 889 yards and four touchdowns. He earned first-team honors for the second time and all-league honors for the third. Carter was the GWC Freshman of the Year in 2006.
He set school records for most catches in a career (213) and a game (18 vs. Montana in September) and produced when the Aggies needed it the most, notably on a key fourth-down grab against South Dakota in overtime which helped set up the game-winning points of a 24-23 victory in October.
"He just seemed to come up big even though everybody knew he was the intended receiver and intended target for Greg Denham often times," said Biggs. "He still was able to manage to get open. He caught everything that was thrown his way. He just made so many big plays. And I don't mean big plays in the sense that they were touchdowns, or big scoring plays, but I just mean critical first downs and getting the extra yardage to get a first down to keep the drive going."
Morales, a senior middle linebacker from Los Altos, helped anchor the Aggies' defense by posting three games with at least 12 tackles, including 13 at powerhouse Boise State, 12 against South Dakota and 13 versus rival Cal Poly. He also picked off two passes - he had five in his career - and was twice named the conference's defensive player of the week. He had 81 tackles overall, including 44 solo.
Morales finished second on the Aggies' career chart for solo tackles (135), third for total stops (261) and sixth for assisted tackles (126). He earned second-team honors last year.
"He's such a great student of the game.," said Biggs. "He just understands the game so well that instinctively he always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Our defense is designed for the mike linebacker to make plays and he certainly made plays."
Morales is the second consecutive defensive player of the year for UC Davis which had All-America tackle John Faletoese receive the honor last year.
Carter and Morales were among 10 Aggies that repeated all-league honors won last yeasr. Hernandez, a center and a team captain with Morales, received first-team distinction again along with Rogers. Tos, Grant, Michelier, and Kelley moved to the first team after earning mention on the second team in 2008. Denham and Scott were selected to the second team for the second straight year. Healey, a senior from Pleasant Hill, received his first All-GWC honor while Davies, Sobotka and Brown also earned honors for the first time.
Biggs, named on Monday as a candidate for the Eddie Robinson Award for national coach of the year, led UC Davis to its first winning record since 2006 and the program's first Great West Conference title since 2005. He guided the Aggies through their most difficult schedule ever which included games against Fresno State and Boise State, and unbeaten Montana, the top seed for the upcoming NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs.
Biggs, who just finished his 17th year as head coach and 32nd with the program overall, is the second-winningest coach in program history with an overall record of 130-66-1.
Punter Trevor Ward of Southern Utah was named the GWC Special Teams Player of the Year while running back Mitch Sutton of North Dakota was tabbed Rookie of the Year. Southern Utah placed eight players on the all-league first team while South Dakota had four.
UC Davis finished 6-5 overall and 3-1 in the Great West Conference.
